Reliving Rinku Singh's 5 best finishes in the IPL on his birthday

They say 'hard work always pays off', and Rinku Singh is a testament to the statement. His journey to success has been a long and difficult one but he hasn't thought about giving up even once.

After years of grinding in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rinku is finally getting his due. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter had a breakthrough season in IPL 2023, amassing 474 runs in 14 games at an astronomical strike rate of almost 150.

The Aligarh-born cricketer made his T20I debut for India against Ireland and was also part of the Indian squad that won the gold medal in the recently concluded Asian Games in China.

Although his journey is still in the infant stage, Rinku Singh has already enthralled fans with some breathtaking knocks in the IPL.

As he celebrates his 26th birthday today (October 12), we relive his five best finishes in IPL.

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#5 40 off 15 balls vs Lucknow Super Giants (IPL 2022)

Although KKR ended up on the losing side, it was arguably the beginning of the Rinku Singh era. With 21 needed off the final over, Rinku smashed two sixes and a boundary off Marcus Stoinis to bring the equation down to five off three.

But the Australia all-rounder kept his nerve to pick up two wickets in the last two deliveries to help LSG snatch victory.

Despite ending on the losing side, there was light at the end of the tunnel for Rinku, who showed that he was destined for something big. His 15-ball 40 came at a strike rate of 266.66 with the aid of two boundaries and four sixes.

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#4 54 off 43 balls vs Chennai Super Kings (IPL 2023)

It was a knock of the highest order from Rinku Singh, helping the Knight Riders conquer MA Chidambaram Stadium after 11 years.

Chasing 145 runs, Kolkata had the worst possible start, struggling at 33/3 in 4.3 overs. Rinku then joined hands with skipper Nitish Rana to bail the team out of danger, adding 99 runs for the fourth wicket.

Rinku showed his adaptability, stressing more on ones and two. The southpaw smashed four boundaries and three sixes for his 54 off 43 balls before Moeen Ali caught him short of his crease. Rana remained unbeaten on 57 as KKR won with nine balls to spare.

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#3 21* off 10 balls vs Punjab Kings (IPL 2023)

Although Andre Russell walked off with all the accolades for his 42-run knock off 23 balls in Kolkata, Rinku Singh remained unbeaten to see his team through with an unbeaten 21 off 10 balls.

The left-handed batter walked out in the middle in the 16th over and was largely overshadowed by Russell's heroics despite hitting a boundary and a six to keep the side in the hunt.

With Russell out in the penultimate ball of the match, and the team needing two runs, the onus was on Rinku. The Uttar Pradesh-born cricketer once again showed his calm demeanor to guide a wide yorker to the boundary past the point fielder.

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#2 67* off 33 balls vs Lucknow Super Giants (IPL 2023)

Rinku Singh's highest IPL score came against the Lucknow Super Giants, albeit in a losing cause. The diminutive batter almost pulled off another heist as he did against the Gujarat Titans but fell short by one run at the Eden Gardens.

With 20 runs required off the last five deliveries, Rinku was once again tasked with the finishing job by the KKR management. This time he was up against Yash Thakur. The right-arm pacer conceded two wides but sneaked in two dot balls.

Rinku needed to hit three sixes in a row to pull off another heist. He smacked two sixes, only for them to be separated by a boundary that came off a drive.

Although the team ended on the losing side, Rinku Singh received praise from all quarters for his unbeaten 67 runs, which came at a strike rate of over 200 with the help of six boundaries and four maximums.

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#1 48* off 21 balls vs Gujarat Titans (IPL 2023)

With 28 runs required off the final five deliveries, not even the best hitters of the ball would've backed themselves to take the team home. This is where Rinku Singh sets himself apart from his peers.

He looked confident and exactly did that, hitting five consecutive sixes of Yash Dayal to help KKR gun down a 200-run target in the 20th over.

Rinku's unbeaten on 48 off just 21 balls, including six maximums and one boundary, will remain in the hearts of fans and will be talked about for a very long time.